Future museum professionals:

Time and time again, the Museum-L has served as a forum for students and
recent graduates soliciting advice in selecting a course that will
guarantee jobs in the museum field. Time and time again, these
understandable (and perfectly acceptable) requests are followed by a
plethora of responses, each one offering different ideas as to the
"right" path to museum employment.

In an attempt to bring some closure to this perplexing discussion, let me
pose my answer to the question "What factor(s) determine who lands a
museum position?"

The answer, quite simply, is FORTUITY.

Like life itself, museum employment is largely governed by forces beyond
our sight and immediate control. For some jobs, a Masters degree in a
traditional field like Art History or History may carry more weight than
a degree in Museum Studies or Public History. For other jobs, however,
the reverse may be true. In other instances, hands-on experience through
internships is more important than even a Masters degree. In still other
cases, museum jobs go to those who have neither museum education nor
experience but possess a skill such as foreign language ability or
teaching prowess.

Those soliciting advice for their educational future also often overlook
the critical importance of the job interview itself and networking
connections in finding museum employment. On occasion, candidates are
overlooked after the job interview simply because their personalities do
not match that required for a posted position, regardless of their place
of study or type of degree earned. Other times, museum jobs are had based
on whom a job seeker has previously met and befriended at conferences and
other professional events.

The point that I am trying to make, perhaps longwindedly, is that there
is no guaranteed route to success in the museum field. Choose a course of
study, do good work, and hope that when the hunt begins, the dice land in
your favor.


Nicholas P. Ciotola
Curator, Italian American Collection
Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

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